Return of the Resisty
by TheIrkenMachine
Summary: The Resisty have returned, and in much larger numbers. With the help of the Meekrob, they hope to put an end to the Irken Empire. After a failed assassination attempt, however, the Tallest have declared war on the Resisty and the Meekrob. Who will prevail? I've changed the rating to T for violence in preparation of the next chapter. I'm still expecting it to go up to M eventually.
1. Ten Mintues

**A/N: Invader Zim (c) Jhonen Vasquez, Nickelodeon, Viacom, etc. First few chapters will be rated T or under. Later chapters will be M.****  
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**Chapter 1: Ten Minutes**

"Incoming transmission."

The technician who made the announcement was one of three females who worked on the bridge of the Massive, and the only female on the current shift. Her eyes were a deep red and her uniform matched. She was stationed at a counsel in the back right quadrant of the room, in the second row.

"From who?" asked Red.

"It says 'caller unknown,' My Tallest…Shall I put it through?"

"Go ahead."

The Tallest had been lounging in their usual seats on the bridge, sipping drinks and not really talking much. The crew had been silently going about their daily tasks. It had been a low-key day on the Massive up until that point. The female technician pressed the button on her counsel that transferred the call to the main view screen. The familiar image of the Vortian known as Captain Lard Nar and his crew of alien misfits flashed into view.

"So we meet again, Irken scum."

"You…" Red arose from his seat and hovered closer to the screen, glaring at the rebel leader. "I thought you crashed into the Earth and died. What do you want? Surely you're not foolish enough to challenge the Armada a second time!"

"We escaped our ship!" Lard Nar answered, glaring back at Red, "I told you, you had not heard the last of the Resisty! And your Armada did little to help you last time, if memory serves me right."

Purple had come to stand beside Red, gazing up at the screen curiously.

"That's _still_ your name?" he asked, raising an invisible eyebrow. "That's stupid. And we _would_ have destroyed you if Zim hadn't hijacked our ship! Where's your ship now, anyways? Show yourselves so we can destroy you!"

"Our ship, along with the rest of our fleet, is safely out of range."

"Your fleet?" Red asked. "You have a fleet now? If it's a battle with us you seek, why are you staying out of range? What is it you want?"

"Oh, yes," Lard Nar chuckled evilly, "we have a fleet. The resistance has grown immensely since the last time we spoke. Other races of the universe are banding together now to defeat you before you come for their planets too! We've gained a powerful ally in the Meekrob. In fact, just last night they captured one of your Invaders."

Both Tallest were glaring at the Vortian and the mix of aliens gathered behind him. The room had grown still as the technicians had ceased their daily activities to observe the scene unfolding before them.

"The Meekrob are pacifists," Red said flatly, "they aren't soldiers. If your plan is to attack us with a fleet of Meekrob, you're destined to fail."

"The Meekrob are merely the key to the plan, Irken," Lard Nar hissed, "Besides, by sending an Invader to their planet, you challenged them to war, as you've challenged us all. They may choose to live a peaceful existence, but they will still defend themselves against terrorists such as you."

"Are you declaring war against us, then?" Red asked. His voice was low and dangerous.

"Not war," the Vortian Captain smirked, "your people could probably outlast us in a war. Our plan is much swifter than war. It begins with your deaths, Tallest! While your Armada is lost and leaderless in the depths of space, we will attack your home planet, Irk, where our fleet is waiting not far away. By the time the Armada gets there, there will be nothing left of your planet but smoldering ruins!"

Red's eyes were blazing with anger and Purple silently glared at the screen as well.

"How dare you threaten to—"

Red's eyes went wide as his hover belt switched off unexpectedly and he was dropped to the floor. He remained on his knees, hands pressed against the cool metallic floor where he had caught his fall. His eyes were wide and fearful and his breathing had become shallow. He stared at the floor in front of him, unmoving. Purple quickly knelt down beside his friend.

"What happened? Are you OK?" he asked.

"My life clock just came on…" Red answered quietly.

Purple looked back up at the screen, confused.

"The Meekrob are excellent hackers," Lard Nar said with a smirk, "they've figured out how to remote access the Control Brains. Did you know the Control Brains are capable of remote-deactivating any of you, at any time? We thought it was fascinating. Don't worry, Purple, your life clock should be turning on any minute now."

Red still stared at the floor in disbelief and Purple gazed up at the Vortian on the screen with a mixture of fear and loathing.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay and watch the two of you expire, I have a fleet to command," Lard Nar still smirked at them evilly. "Enjoy your last 10 minutes of life, Irken scum, and die knowing your defeat came at the hands of the Resisty!"

Lard Nar cut the transmission from his end and the screen went blank. The room was deathly silent as the crew watched their fallen leader.

"Come on," Purple said to Red, "we need to get to the medical bay so they can shut this off!"

He grabbed Red around one arm and began to help him up. Red shook him off. Purple stood upright and looked down at Red, confused.

"No," Red told him, "we'd never make it there in 10 minutes. But you should go. Your life clock hasn't started yet. There's still time for you to get there."

Purple stared back at Red through large panicked eyes. He shook his head in protest.

"I can't just leave you here…"

"Yes, you can!" Red hissed angrily, "You're next! Now go! Go before they activate your life clock too!"

Purple hesitated a second longer. His eyes were glistening with fear and his mind was reeling with the thought of losing his best friend.

"Go!" Red shouted at him.

Purple finally turned and hovered swiftly out the door and down the hallway, not looking back. Red slowly picked himself up off the floor, using his chair to steady himself. His life clock had been running for two whole minutes. He could already feel his body weakening.

"Somebody go after him," he instructed his crew, "make sure he makes it to the medical ward."

Nobody moved. Red seated himself on his chair sideways so his feet hung over one side and his arm wrapped around the back of it, helping him keep his balance. He looked around the room of technicians and navigators who were all staring at him with mixed expressions of fear and sorrow.

"You two," he gestured towards two male technicians at their stations in the front row, "go after him."

The two technicians, one with red eyes and one with green, exited swiftly and silently, then broke into a run in the corridor to catch up to their other leader. Red was scanning the room of worried technicians and navigators again.

"I need someone to help me," his gaze paused on the red-eyed female who had announced the transmission, "You. Come here."

The red-eyed female hesitantly stepped out from behind her terminal and approached her dying leader. Her eyes were wide, a worried frown hidden behind the up-turned collar of her uniform. Her legs trembled as she slowly came to stand before Red.

"I need you to go into my PAK and manually disconnect my life clock uplink," Red instructed her.

"I…don't know how," the female replied quietly. Her voice was shaking with panic.

"I'll tell you how," Red told her, "Go around behind me and open the main panel."

The entire room was watching, captivated. She moved to the other side of the chair and slid open the main panel of Red's PAK – what appears as the upper-most large dot on all Irken PAKs.

"Now push that large bundle of cables aside so you can get at the smaller bundle behind it."

The female's hands were shaking, but she did as instructed. She had to rearrange Red's mechanical 'spider legs' first so she could fit both hands inside his PAK. With the retractable spider legs repositioned, she grabbed hold of the large bundle of cables and pulled it out the opening of the main panel so it hung to the side, out of the way.

"OK. Now what?" she asked, hearing the fear in her own voice.

"Follow those smaller cables. Are they connected to the top portal?"

The female technician steadied herself by placing one hand in the middle of Red's PAK and went up on her toes to see all the way inside. She placed one hand back inside the PAK and took hold of the wires, feeling them all the way down to the portal – the hole through which wires pass to connect the PAK to an Irken's spine. She felt around for the second portal below to make sure they were indeed connected to the top portal.

"Yes," she answered, "they're connected to the top portal."

"Good. Now—"

Red swayed and gripped the back of the chair suddenly to keep himself from falling. He was getting dizzier and it was getting harder for him to focus. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, willing the room to stop spinning.

"My Tallest?"

"It's OK. I'm OK. Now, look closely at the cables. There should be a different colored band around each one – red, blue, green, and yellow. Do you see it?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Use your utility laser cutter to sever them in the order I tell you…"

The female suddenly dropped the cables and took a step backwards. Fear gripped her mind with all the thoughts of what could go wrong.

"No, I…I can't. Maybe someone else would be better to—"

"No!" Red harshly cut her off. "It has to be you. I've only got five minutes left and I'm only going to be coherent for another two, maybe. You're not going to hurt me. I know what I'm doing. If you don't do this, I'm dead."

The female Irken gulped nervously, but stepped forward again. She removed the small laser cutter from her own PAK and took hold of the color-banded cables inside Red's PAK again.

"Cut the blue one first," he instructed. He gripped the back of his chair tighter so he wouldn't involuntarily shift and cause her to cut the wrong cable. He kept his eyes squeezed shut. Having his eyes open was making him so dizzy he felt sick.

The female separated the cables and grasped the blue-banded one between her thumb and index finger of her left hand. With her right hand show lowered the small laser cutter to the wire. She took a deep breath to steady herself then pressed down the small button on the side of the laser cutter. It easily severed the cable.

"Ok," she said when it was done. Her voice was noticeably panicked.

"Cut the green one next," Red told her. He swallowed as a wave of nausea passed over him. It was taking all his strength to focus on the task at hand. He could feel himself growing cold and his lungs were beginning to ache as the deactivate function was slowly shutting down his PAK's memory for performing vital tasks.

"Done," she announced.

Red didn't respond. He felt cold and light-headed. He just wanted the burning sensation in his lungs and heart and the horrible feeling of nausea to stop. He could feel blackness surrounding him as his life clock counted down his remaining few minutes.

"Which one do I cut next?" the female asked.

Red still didn't respond. He was having trouble comprehending what she was saying. He shifted in the chair so he was lying on his side with his head resting against the back of the chair. He was too weak to remain upright any longer and breathing was becoming difficult. He opened his eyes at last, but everything looked dim and only grew dimmer and the blackness moved in to surround him like a blanket.

"My Tallest, which one do I cut next-" the female asked again, voice rising with her growing panic, "the red one or the yellow one?"

Red had barely heard her and had almost forgotten she was there until she appeared suddenly in front of him, crouching on the floor.

"My Tallest," she repeated, "red or yellow?"

Red blinked once slowly before attempting an incoherent answer. "I…yellow…no…red…I…don't remember...so tired…"

His eyes slipped shut again. The female gripped his arm, perhaps rougher than she meant to in her panic. Red slowly opened his eyes again.

"My Tallest, please, try to focus. Red or yellow?"

"…yellow…"

"Are you sure?"

Red closed his eyes again and gave no answer. He had one minute left on his life clock. The darkness was calling to him and he was too weak to fight it any longer.

The female stood up and moved behind him again. She took the cables in her hand again and lowered the laser cutter to them. Taking a deep breath, she severed the yellow cable. She looked down at her fading Tallest. He was still breathing, barely. Her hands were shaking almost uncontrollably, but she at last severed the red cable.

She removed her hands from his PAK and looked down at him again. He hadn't changed. He was still dying. She felt her heart sink, along with the hearts of all the crew who still watched in rapt attention. Her mind was swimming. Had she not been quick enough? Had she severed the wrong cable?

Then a deep computerized voice emanated from Red's PAK: "REACTIVATING."

All Irkens knew that voice, whether they had ever had to hear it from their own PAKs or not. The female instinctively jumped back as a white hot bolt of electricity surged through Red's body, essentially shocking him back into existence.

Red's eyes shot wide at open when he felt the burning sensation of the electricity. After it ceased, he lay still for a few seconds as his vision returned to normal and he once again became aware of his surroundings. At last he sat up and turned to face the red-eyed female who still stood a few feet away holding the laser cutter in one hand.

"It worked! I'm alive!" he said, as though he needed to confirm for himself that he was really alive after being so close to the brink of death.

The female was grinning hugely with relief, although no one could see it under her collar. She was so relieved that her Tallest was alive that she had forgotten about the rest of the room entirely until an outbreak of exuberant applause reminded her of her surroundings. She looked about the room to see that all the other technicians and navigators were looking at her – they were applauding her.

She felt herself blush and shrank back a little. She wasn't used to having so much attention directed at her, and truthfully she didn't feel she really deserved all the applause. She had saved her leader's life, yes, but only after he commanded her to do so and walked her through the process step-by-step.

As her gaze moved across the room it eventually settled back on Red. He was sitting up sideways on his chair again and smiling at her warmly. She moved closer to him again, stopping and standing within arm's reach.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Azhira, sir," she replied shyly, eyes flicking humbly down and to the side.

"You saved my life, Azhira. Thank you."

Azhira's eyes remained respectfully downcast before her leader who had returned to his powerful and charismatic self. Wanting to get a better look at the Irken who had saved his life, Red reached out and gently pulled down her collar so he could see her whole face. The gesture caught Azhira off guard and her eyes flicked up to meet Red's again.

"You're a hero to them now," he said, nodding his head towards the other crew, "You should feel proud."

"Why did you choose me?" Azhira asked quietly, unable to think of another response.

An amused smirk crossed Red's face and he chuckled lightly.

"Because of everyone here you have the smallest hands," he answered honestly. "I couldn't let some club-handed idiot go digging around inside my PAK, now could I?"

Azhira smirked as well and giggled at her leader's simple but honest answer. Even when his own life was rapidly running out he had a reason for the decisions he made. That was something Azhira had always admired about him.

"Could you put that large cable back in there?" Red turned so his back was to her again. Azhira put the laser cutter back in her own PAK, then stuffed the cable back inside Red's PAK. The hatch closed by itself that time. Red stood up and his hover belt automatically reactivated.

"I need to go to the medical bay to have a functional diagnostic run on my PAK and make sure Purple is OK." He turned to face Azhira again. "I'd appreciate it if you went with me."

"Of course, My Tallest."

Red turned his attention back to the rest of the room. "The rest of you," he instructed, "look into the Meekrob issue. Find out if Invader Tenn really was captured. And set a course for Irk. Then send a transmission alerting the planet to be on the lookout for Resistance filth."

The technicians and navigators immediately set to work carrying out the tasks their leader had assigned. Red turned and looked down at Azhira once again.

"Let's go."

She followed him out of the room and into the long corridor. The relief she had felt when Red had come back from the brink of death was slowly being replaced by worry and dread of what might have happened to the other Tallest, whom nobody had heard from since he left the bridge almost 10 minutes ago.


	2. Declaration

**Chapter 2: Declaration **

When Red and Azhira arrived in the medical bay they were greeted by the two technicians Red had sent to look after Purple.

"My Tallest!" They exclaimed, jumping up from their seats, "You're alive!"

"Yes," Red replied, "Thanks to your coworker, Azhira. Where is Tallest Purple?"

"I'm right here." Purple emerged from a set of double doors to rejoin his co-ruler in the waiting area. "My life clock never came on, but I had the doctors deactivate the remote link anyways. I see you're alive and well…"

Purple eyed Azhira curiously. She remained respectfully still, standing next to the other two technicians who were observing the interaction between their two leaders. Red had not taken notice of any of this.

"The Control Brains must have figured out they'd been hacked and gone into lock-down," Red mused. "Resistance scum. I've set a course for Irk and the crew is looking into the Invader Tenn thing as we speak. Those Resisty filth will regret they day they dared to cross the Irken Empire."

"Who's this?" Purple asked, gesturing to Azhira. He was more interested in the unnecessary addition of the third communications tech to the waiting area than in Red's summarization of the past few minutes.

"Oh, this is Azhira," Red explained, remembering the quiet technician he had brought with him, "She's the reason I'm still alive right now."

"Ok. Why is she here?"

"I wanted to introduce you to her. I thought it would be nice if you, as well as everyone else, met the Irken that saved me. She deserves our gratitude."

"Hm. Nice to meet you," Purple said without much enthusiasm.

Azhira nodded once in recognition. Although she felt honored by Red's praises of her, she really did wish he would stop and allow her to go back to the bridge. After all, she was simply performing her duty to her leader. She was no hero.

"You may return to the bridge now, if you'd like," Red told her.

"Yes, my Tallest." She bowed her head respectfully.

"You two are dismissed as well," Red said to the other two technicians.

"Yes, my Tallest," they echoed. The trio of technicians then exited the room, leaving Red and Purple alone.

"I need to have a functional diagnostic done on my PAK to make sure everything else is still working properly," Red told his violet-eyed cohort, who was looking rather bored at the moment.

"Well, hurry up," Purple whined, "I'm hungry."

He sat down in a waiting room chair, slouching and crossing his arms. Red stared at him, annoyance beginning to rise.

"I almost died," he said, "you could have almost died too, we're most likely on the brink of war with the Resisty and the Meekrob…and all you can think about is food? You're really something else, you know that, Purple?"

"Whatever. We're both alive and the Resisty is pathetic. There isn't going to be any war. We'll destroy them first. I'm not worried about it."

Red stared at his partner a moment longer in disbelief of his apathetic and lazy attitude towards the whole situation. At last he simply rolled his eyes and hovered past Purple through the double doors. Purple waited in the chair for Red to return, content to let his mind wander for the time being.

Once Red was convinced that his PAK was fully functional, he rejoined Purple in the waiting the room. The two Tallests then returned to the bridge together, despite Purple's protests that he would starve if he didn't eat immediately.

"Any news on the Tenn situation?" Red asked upon reentering the room.

"We've tried contacting her base, her ship, her personal communicator, and her SIR unit, my Tallest," one of the male technicians answered, "but we haven't received an answer on any of them. No distress signals either. It's like she vanished."

"More likely she was captured, as they said," Red muttered, "Tenn is a good soldier. She wouldn't just vanish without a trace. If the Meekrob have her, it would make sense that they would block any distress signals."

"So what are we gonna do?" Purple asked, suddenly sounding interested again, "We can't just let them get away with capturing one of our Invaders!"

"Of course not," Red replied. Then he turned his attention to another male technician, "Call the Resisty back. We have unfinished business."

In a few moments Lard Nar's image appeared on the large screen once again. At first his expression was one of puzzlement that the Irken Armada, which should have been lost and leaderless by then, was contacting him. Once he saw the Tallest standing together, alive, however, his expression turned to one of shocked horror.

"What-? But-? How?-" the Vortian stammered. "You're supposed to be dead! What happened!?"

"Silly little creature," Red chided, "Don't you know you can't kill a Tallest that easily? We're almighty!"

"Don't you patronize me, you Irken scum!" Lard Nar hissed through his panic. "Oh, those horrible Meekrob! I should've known I couldn't trust them to get the job done!"

"Speaking of the Meekrob," Red continued, "I believe they have something of ours. We'd like it back."

"Ha! You mean you're missing solider? You'll have to negotiate with them for her release."

"Very well," Red said in that same condescending voice, "but you of all people should know that we're not the best negotiators. There's a good chance that you and all of your little rebel allies will end up dead."

"The Resistance is stronger than you think, Tallest," Lard Nar sneered. He seemed to have regained some of his former bravado. "To see the downfall of your horrible race and an end to your reign of terror – it's a risk I'm willing to take."

"So be it," Red responded, becoming serious again, "Consider yourselves at war with the Irken Empire."

Red signaled for the transmission to be cut. An eerie hush had fallen over the room. The situation had suddenly become very real. The Irkens, always the aggressors, had been challenged by an opposing force – one that had nearly killed their leaders. It was beginning to appear as though the Resisty might not be so small and pathetic after all. Even Purple seemed to sense the gravity of the situation. He stared silently at Red, but before either Tallest could speak, Azhira alerted them to another incoming transmission.

"Incoming transmission…from Meekrob, my Tallest," she announced.

The image of a large, blue, glowing spirit-being – the leader of the Meekrob – appeared on the screen. The Tallest, caught off guard by the unexpected contact from the Meekrob, waited for the creature to speak.

"Greetings, Irkens," the being said in a deep voice.

"Identify yourself," Red demanded.

"I am Malik'Tuzhzhu, leader of the Meekrob. Captain Lard Nar tells me you are interested in negotiating for the release of your captured solider."

"Not really," Purple cut in, "Either release her, or we'll destroy you."

Red shot Purple a look that clearly communicated that Purple was to be silent and let him do the talking.

"You're appetite for destruction is why we are in this situation," Malik'Tuzhzhu said, voice as deep and calm as the ocean. "You sent your solider here to conquer our people. The Meekrob are a peaceful people. We had no quarrel with the Irken Empire, yet you sought to bring war here. Now is the time for you to reap what you have sown."

"Actually," Red spoke, "had you contacted us prior to attempting to assassinate us, we might have been willing to negotiate. By joining with the Resisty you have committed treason against us and against the Irken Empire. If you don't surrender now, it is you who will be reaping what you have sown."

"I know better than to believe your lies," Malik'Tuzhzhu said smoothly, "I am spirit. I am immune to your charismatic charms. Your race does not negotiate. You know only dominance and destruction. When you are lacking in planets to conquer you turn against your allies, as you did with the Vortians. You seek to control all life in this universe, but life is not yours to own. The time has come for the free races of the universe to stand in opposition to you, and for the conquered to reclaim their lands. "

"As I told Lard Nar," Red hissed, "Consider yourselves at war with the Irken Empire, then. We will see who claims YOUR land when this is all over."

Red angrily gestured for Azhira to end the transmission. He turned to address Purple.

"Let's eat," he said, "When we're done, we'll call a meeting with our top soldiers and advisors."

Red turned and hovered out the door and towards the cafeteria, followed closely by Purple. The technicians on the bridge silently continued with their duties.

* * *

**A/N: My theory as to why the Irkens turned against their former allies, the Vortians, is that the Irkens think the Vortians are responsible for the deaths of Tallests Miyuki and Spork, when in fact it was Zim (as revealed in The Trial), but the Irkens don't know that yet, because in this story that episode has not occurred yet. That information shouldn't be relative to this story, but just in case, that's the theory I'm working with here. I'm also borrowing ideas from the proposed TV movie where Tenn is captured by the Meekrob, with my own twists of course, because this story is supposed to focus on the Tallests, not Invader Tenn. Thanks for reading!**


	3. First Strike

**Chapter 3: First Strike**

After dinner that evening, the Tallest held a meeting with their top advisor, Rarl Kove, along with several of the fleet commanders and elite soldiers to discuss a plan of rescue for Invader Tenn. It was the first of many such meetings they would hold over the coming weeks, in which other matters, such as a plan of attack against the Resisty, were also discussed.

Once the Resisty had learned that Irk was on high-alert and that both Tallest were still alive, they had temporarily retreated away from the planet. In fact, no one had heard anything out of the rebel force in almost two weeks and it was assumed they had gone into hiding, either temporarily while they formulated their own plans, or perhaps permanently, having been scared off by the threat of a full-on war with the Irken Armada.

Most of the Massive's crew had resumed their normal activities, but remained ever-vigilant for any sign of the Resisty's reappearance. However, the atmosphere of the bridge had become heavy. With war on their minds, the Tallest hadn't been their usual jubilant selves. Red always appeared to be deep in thought and Purple had been uncharacteristically quiet and serious. That is, when the Tallest were even on the bridge, which was happening less and less as the length and frequency of the tactical meetings increased.

Presently, the Tallest were in one such meeting. A rescue plan for Invader Tenn had been agreed upon and they were in the process of putting together the team that was to rescue her from the Meekrob. If the Resisty had known the Tallest would be in such a meeting elsewhere on the Massive rather than on the bridge, they might not have wasted the effort it took them to make their first aggressive strike against the Irkens.

The assault came as a complete surprise to everyone. The scanners had been running non-stop and no signs of foreign spacecraft had been detected. No signs of an infiltration had been detected either. The guards stood vigilantly outside the large metal doors of the bridge and the crew inside diligently went about their tasks in the absence of their leaders. This of course was why everyone was caught completely off guard and why there were no soldiers present, save the two guards, to protect the crew when resistance soldiers of all species seemingly appeared out of thin air on the bridge and began their onslaught.

The bridge was in a state of chaos as the rebel aliens shrieked the loud battle cries of their respective races. Laser blasts were fired from all directions. A great number of the crew were hit by laser blasts in the crossfire as they attempted to flee or take refuge underneath their terminals.

Azhira, whose terminal was located nearest to the door, was one of the first to be shot. She had jumped to her feet as soon as the Resisty rebels had begun appearing and shrieking. She cried out in pain as the laser blast - which moments sooner would have hit her in the head and killed her - hit her upper right thigh. The impact of the blast coupled with the searing pain knocked her backwards. She felt her back crack against the hard metal surface of her terminal and she fell to the floor.

The guards at the door were trying to fight their way into the room to defend the rest of the crew, none of whom were soldiers. Three of the Resisty had ganged up on the two guards. One Vortian rebel managed to take one of the guard's electric-spears. The Vortian threw the spear at the large screen in the front of the room. The screen exploded, causing glass to shatter everywhere and sparks to shoot out of the screen.

Azhira had been lying face-down on the floor where she had fallen, too stunned and in too much pain to move. The shards of glass falling all around her caused her to wake from her stupor. She painfully scurried on hands and knees to underneath her terminal in an attempt to hide. The glass cut her knees and palms, shards of varying sizes embedding themselves in her flesh.

Alarms blared and lights flashed, at last signaling that the Massive's bridge was under attack. Irken soldiers of varying sizes ran into the room, returning fire on the Resistance and subduing the rebels by any means necessary.

The Tallest of course had heard the alarms. The soldiers who had been in the meeting with them rushed towards the bridge to help out. Four guards and the advisor remained with the Tallest. Red had rushed towards the door after the soldiers, but Rarl Kove bravely stepped into his leader's path.

"My Tallest," he had pleaded, "I must advise you to remain here, where it is safe. We don't know what's going on down there!"

"Stand down," Red had told him. The advisor did not have to be told twice. He feared the warrior towering over him and silently moved aside. Two guards had run after Red and two had remained with Purple. Purple hesitated a moment longer, but he too eventually rushed towards the bridge after Red with his two guards following behind him.

By the time the Tallest arrived on the scene, the rebels had been mostly subdued. Several lay dead on the floor and a few had been captured alive by Irken soldiers who now had them in cuffs. The Tallest had halted just inside the doorway. They both observed the scene with shock and disgust. Dead and wounded Irkens lay scattered amongst the dead or dying rebels all around the room. Shards of glass covered almost every surface and glistened with the crimson blood of the wounded. Equipment that had been hit with laser blast or struck with electric-spears sparked and hissed throughout the room.

The Tallest were speechless. The sight was making Purple feel faint and he had to lean against the doorframe to steady himself. Red slowly shook his head in disbelief at the scene before them. He slowly became aware of a trio of Irken soldiers standing before him, each holding onto a rebel prisoner. They were asking what the Tallest wanted them to do with the prisoners.

"Take them away," Red instructed, gesturing for the soldiers to hand over the prisoners to the larger guards standing beside he and Purple, "I'll deal with them later."

Three guards took the prisoners and forced them to walk down the long corridor towards the holding cells. One of Purple's guards remained behind and the one guard that remained uninjured from the battle joined the other in standing guard behind the Tallest. The soldiers dispersed among the wounded technicians, doing what they could to help while they waited on a medical crew to arrive.

Red was scanning the room again when he noticed the trail of bloody broken glass leading to underneath Azhira's terminal. Azhira was still huddled underneath it, clutching her wounded leg. He moved towards her, deactivating his hover belt and crouching down in front of her once he reached her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

Azhira only stared at him through wide, frightened eyes. The collar of her uniform had slid down during the mayhem, making her entire face visible and more readable. Red took note of the blood seeping into the fabric of her uniform, the many lacerations covering her legs and hands – some with glass still embedded in them, and the rather large wound on her leg which continued to leak blood.

"Come on. Come out," Red told her, "It's OK now."

Azhira started to maneuver her way out from under the terminal, but the movement sent shooting pain throughout her leg and the pressure of her body pressing down on the glass embedded in her flesh felt like a thousand knives going into her. She started to cry out, but bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from looking anymore pathetic in front of her leaders than she already looked.

Red observed her with an unprecedented amount of sympathy. He could see she was fighting back tears. She tried to move again, but another wave of intense pain stopped her. She let her head drop back against the wall of the terminal, frustrated with her own inability to move.

Wordlessly, Red leaned forward from his crouching position, put one arm around her mid-section and one arm under her legs, and pulled her as gently as he could out from under her terminal. Azhira whimpered a little, but managed to keep herself from screaming out loud.

Purple watched Red curiously as the ruby-eyed Tallest located a first-aid kit in one of the compartments of the terminal. Red remained silent as he began wrapping Azhira's injured leg in a make-shift tourniquet. As he was finishing up he looked up from what he was doing to meet Azhira's gaze, which was still fearful but also a little curious.

"I've seen injuries like this before," he told her, "You'll be fine."

"…it really hurts…" Azhira said quietly. She gripped her leg above the injured area again, her hands shaking.

"I know." Red used a small cloth from the first-aid kit to wipe some of the blood from her face. "But you'll be Ok."

Then a look of deep concentration crossed Azhira's face and she tilted her head to the side as though she were listening for something. Red's antennae perked up. He heard it too – a soft crunching nearby, as though someone was trying to tip-toe across the field of broken glass. Suddenly, Azhira's eyes became wide and panicked.

"Behind you!" She shouted.

Before she had even finished her warning, Red had deployed his mechanical spider legs and spun around, quickly and elegantly, in a defensive maneuver. One of his four mechanical legs made contact with the previously invisible attacker – a young Vortian rebel. The mechanical leg impaled one of the creature's shoulders, causing its cloaking device to deactivate, and pinning the creature against the wall.

The creature dropped the piece of jagged glass it had planned on using to attack the Tallest. The alien writhed and gripped the mechanical leg where it had entered the alien's body, trying to dislodge it, unsuccessfully. Almost as swiftly as before, Red drove a second mechanical leg through the creature's other shoulder, pinning it to the wall completely.

Upon realizing what had just happened, two of the soldiers joined the two guards in forming a defensive circle around their violet-eyed and less-warrior-like Tallest. The soldiers were poised to attack if there were any more invisible rebels.

"If there are any more Resisty cloaked in this room, now would be a good time to reveal yourselves," Red said, never taking his deadly gaze off of the Vortian he had pinned against the wall.

A single rebel of a non-Vortian race on the far side of the bridge deactivated his cloaking device and was quickly taken into custody by two soldiers. When the bridge was still again and appeared to be free of rebels, the soldiers turned their attention back to Red.

The Vortian rebel was writhing with the pain caused by the two mechanical appendages piercing his flesh and bones. Red continued to stare at him in silent contempt. Once the Vortian made eye-contact with the Tallest, his squirming ceased and he appeared to cower under the Irken leader's heated gaze.

"Do you have any final words?" Red asked him coldly.

"W-wait—Can't we-!"

The rebel never got a chance to finish. Red sharply cut his spider legs towards each other diagonally, then out again, cutting the alien into pieces. There was a sharp cry from the Vortian, then silence. Red retracted the bloody mechanical legs back into his PAK and turned to face the rest of the room again.

Some of the other Irkens looked shocked by their leader's actions; others seemed to gain a sort of pleasure from seeing one of the Resisty destroyed in such a brutal way. Purple looked a little appalled, as though maybe he wasn't fully aware of what his fellow ruler was capable of. Red was facing away from Azhira, but if he had been facing her, he would have seen a look of amazement, with the slightest glint of pure delight hidden underneath.

"I want someone to find out what type of cloaking devices they used," he said to the Irkens in the room. "Find out who built them and why we weren't able to detect them."

The soldiers who had cuffed the remaining rebel moments before nodded their acceptance to deliver the task to the science team. They proceeded to march the horrified rebel out of the room and towards the holding cells.

The remaining soldiers went back to assisting the wounded technicians and piling the bodies of the deceased in the middle of the bridge walkway. Red crouched down in front of Azhira again. Purple and the two guards came to stand a few feet away from Red, watching.

Azhira had become paler and weaker, her breathing shallow. Red touched her forehead with the backs of his two fingers. Her skin was cold and clammy. He pressed his fingers against the primary artery running through her neck. Her pulse had quickened. She had apparently lost more blood than he had thought in his initial assessment. She needed urgent care.

Red looked around the room. The medics hadn't yet arrived, and even if they had, Azhira would not be their top priority. There were too many other Irkens with more obvious injuries. Red came to a decision. He bent down towards Azhira again, scooping her into his arms completely before standing up. He moved towards the doorway, well aware of Purple's very confused gaze upon him.

"The medics are taking too long," he muttered at the doorway, "I'm taking her to the Medical Bay myself."

Azhira's body had gone limp for the most part and her head rested heavily on Red's shoulder. More guards had arrived by then. Two of them flanked Red as he carried Azhira down the long hallway. The others joined Purple on the bridge.


	4. Silent Strike

**Chapter 4: Silent Strike**

Once the medical crew had arrived on the bridge and counted the number of dead and wounded crew, Purple went in search of Red. It had been nearly an hour since the ruby-eyed Tallest had left with the severely wounded Azhira. Most of the survivors were already in or on their way to the medical bay and clean-up crews were arriving to put the bridge back in order.

Purple found Red alone in one of the medical bay's waiting areas. He had his back to the door and stood looking out one of the slim windows into the emptiness of space. His antennae were slightly lowered and only barely twitched with the recognition that another Irken had entered the room. Purple hovered up beside him. Red continued to stare out the window.

"So…how's what's-her-name?" Purple asked.

"Azhira." Red replied. "Her name is Azhira. She's dead."

"Oh. That's…too bad."

Red remained still. Purple shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to Red's silence, or the heavy feeling of the air that hung around them. He glanced at Red's face. To the untrained eye, it would have appeared emotionally blank. But to Purple, who had known him their entire lives, a look of defeat reflected through his ruby eyes that greatly unnerved Purple.

"I'm sorry she didn't make it," Purple spoke again, really not knowing what else to say or why Red seemed so upset over the death of a random crew member. "You know, a lot of crew died today. Between the technicians and the soldiers, fifteen died and many more were seriously injured."

"I told her she was going to be OK," Red said solemnly, still looking out the window, "I lied to her."

"You couldn't have known—"

"She died in my arms, you know?" Red turned to face Purple at last. He looked weary. "She was dead before I even got her here. I was hoping they could revive her, but it was too late. Shock had already set in. Her PAK couldn't repair the damage fast enough. She didn't stand a chance."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you seem so bothered by her death? People die all the time, a lot of times by our hand. What makes this technician so special?"

Red shook his head and returned his gaze to the window. "I don't know. You're right. This is stupid. I didn't even know her that well. I should be focusing on the problem at hand. The Resisty had the nerve to breach our ship and attack our crew. They need to be put back in their place."

"That's more like it." Purple smiled slightly. Red grinned weakly, but still looked rather pained. After another few seconds of silence he turned to face Purple again.

"We should get back to the bridge," he said, "Once we've assessed the damages we can organize a counter-strike."

"What about the mission to rescue Invader Tenn?"

"It's on hold. We can't risk another attack like that. We need our top soldiers here for now."

Purple followed Red out of the medical bay and back to the bridge. The dead bodies had been removed by then and the wounded survivors had all been taken to the medical bay. Janitorial drones were busy cleaning up the broken glass and blood from the floor. A new team of technicians had arrived to begin repairing the damaged equipment.

"You," Red gestured to one of the technicians, "What are the damages?"

"Some of these terminals will be down for days, my Tallest," the technician answered. "Fortunately our navigation systems are still fully functional. Weapons and shields are fine too. The communications system is down, but should be restored by tomorrow. Our tracking system may still be down for a while, though."

"Then there's nothing else for us to do right now," Red replied. "If you finish the repairs before we return, call us on our personal communicators."

"Yes, my Tallest."

The technician saluted properly before returning to his work. Red hovered out of the room, followed again by Purple.

"What are we going to do in the meantime, then?" Purple asked.

"I don't know," Red answered as he began to float down a branch off of the main hallway, away from Purple, "I need to think."

"Where are you going?"

"Some place where I can find some peace and quiet."

"Do really think it's a good idea to be going off by yourself after what just happened?"

Red paused briefly and looked back at Purple. He looked worried and Red guessed his co-ruler was more worried about being left by himself than Red's own safety.

"That's the second assassination attempt of theirs that has failed," Red told him. "The soldiers - or whatever you'd call them - that they sent are either dead or in a holding cell. The Massive, along with our entire planet, is on high alert now. I highly doubt they'll be trying anything like that again in the near future. I'm not worried. Take some guards with you if you're concerned about your safety."

Purple watched Red disappear down the hallway. He shook his head at what he considered to be his co-ruler's recklessness. Not knowing what else to do for the time being, he decided to return to his own quarters. He motioned for three guards to escort him to the safety of his private rooms.

In the meantime, Red had wandered into a dark and seldom-used area of the ship. It was a large storage area used for storing non-snack items, in other words, boring stuff. It was like a large warehouse, with row upon row of items in crates stacked high into the air. Red roamed aimlessly through the maze of supplies, completely lost in his own thoughts.

Although he tried to appear as level-headed and emotionless as ever in front of Purple and the crew, he was still feeling shaken by the attack that had taken place earlier. The Resisty never should have been able to infiltrate the Massive. Even with their cloaking devices, they would have needed to board via a ship docking with the Massive. Where was their ship? How could nobody on the Massive have noticed a resistance ship docking? Even if the ship had a cloaking device too, the Massive's tracking system should have detected any non-Irken ships in the vicinity.

The whole thing had him deeply unnerved. Perhaps they had underestimated the Resisty. And the Meekrob. The Meekrob were beings of pure energy and admittedly, the Irkens did not understand them as well as they should have before attempting to conquer their planet. The scene of Azhira drawing her last pained breath and then dying in his arms in the hallway just a few yards from the medical bay kept replaying in his mind as well.

As Purple had reminded him, he had seen plenty of creatures die in his lifetime. He had caused many deaths, both non-Irken and Irken. None of those had bothered him. But he hadn't wanted Azhira to die. He wasn't sure he could say that he cared for her. Caring was such a strange concept to Irkens. The only Irken Red might venture so far as to say he cared for was Purple. Nonetheless, he had respected Azhira ever since she kept him from dying on the bridge a few weeks ago. She was a loyal and diligent worker. He hadn't wanted her to die. He supposed that was why her death had upset him so. He had never lost anyone he had fought to save before, and he hoped to Irk that he never had to experience someone dying in his arms like that ever again.

A crunch from somewhere nearby brought him back into awareness of his surroundings. Red paused in the aisle he had been hovering down. His antenna perked up and he listened for the sound of more movement. His heartbeat quickened and he remained very still as he strained to hear any other noises.

He thought he had been alone in the large storage room, but someone else was there. He could sense it. The towering jungle of crates and boxes made it impossible to see anything except the aisle he was in. Red thought he heard something behind him in the aisle and turned around quickly only to find it empty as far as he could see. He looked in the other direction again – also empty. His eyes scanned the tops of the crates. He couldn't see anything but shadows. He remained stationary, peering through the darkness of the aisle he had just come down and listening again.

He heard the noise behind him again – directly behind him – and felt breathe on his neck. He spun around again only to find no one was there. His heart was pounding by then and he was feeling something else normally foreign to Irkens – fear. Red turned again and started to hover down the aisle towards where he thought he remembered the exit being.

Before he could get more than a few feet however, he heard a loud crack, followed by a throbbing pain in the back of his head. What he remembered next was falling forward – his over belt deactivated by the stunned blow to the head – hitting the ground, pain, and then darkness.


	5. Captive

**Chapter 5: Captive**

When Red awoke he was seated on the floor of some sort of dimly lit holding cell. The cell wasn't the technological marvel that the Irkens used on the Massive either. It was cold and damp. The walls and floor were made of hard metal, and instead of an electric shield holding him in, it was metal prison bars and chains. Chains. His arms were chained to the wall above his head, rendering him immobile.

Red blinked his eyes a few times, trying to adjust to the darkness. There was a throbbing pain in his head from whatever had hit him earlier, and as he became more aware, he noticed that his arms were painfully sore from being suspended above his head for Irk-knows how long. He pulled against his restraints to no avail. When he looked down at his body again, he realized that he had been stripped of his armor and had been provided with some sort of light-weight white pants – that was it. No wonder he felt so cold.

"Where am I?" He called out. "Who are you?"

"Tallest Red! I was hoping you'd wake up soon!" The voice came from the hallway, just out of view of Red's cell.

"Who are you?" Red demanded, "Show yourself!"

The short Vortian known as Captain Lard Nar emerged from the hallway and came to stand in front of Red's cell. He was accompanied by two guards of his own, one who was of the same race as Spleenk and one who resembled Smikka Smikka Smoodoo, of the Screwhead race.

"You!" Red hissed. "You'll pay for this! Release me!"

Lard Nar chuckled sinisterly. "You're not going anywhere, Tallest."

"How did you breach my ship!?" Red demanded, his rage only growing more, "How is this possible?"

"You make it too easy, Red," Lard Nar answered with a smirk, "The Resisty nearly kills you twice and you still decide to go for a walk in the most isolated part of the Massive unescorted. You're either incredibly arrogant or incredibly stupid."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Red shouted at him. "I want answers! Now!"

"All in due time, Irken, all in due time."

Lard Nar turned and exited the area with his two escorts. Red tugged at his restraints again frantically. The loud clanging of the metal chains escalated the pain in his head until it felt like his skull would split in two and the metal cuffs around his wrists dug into his flesh, painfully wearing away at the skin. At last he was still. It was clear he couldn't escape and the pain in his head was almost unbearable. He became frustrated with himself as he sat shivering on the cold, hard floor. Purple had warned him not to go off by himself. Why hadn't he listened? Whatever happened next, it was entirely up to Purple.

* * *

Purple had gone down to the cafeteria by himself for breakfast that morning. He was a little miffed that Red hadn't answered his door when he had called on him earlier, and assumed that the crimson-eyed Tallest had gone on to breakfast already, probably still sulking over the previous day's events. When he arrived in the cafeteria and Red wasn't there, Purple began to worry a little bit. Red never missed a meal and it was unlikely that he would have headed to the bridge so early.

Despite feeling hungry, Purple turned and left the cafeteria. Something about the scenario just didn't feel right to him. He needed to find Red. He entered onto the bridge. Most of yesterday's mess had been cleaned up, but technicians were still working on several of the terminals. One of the technicians hopped to his feet and ran over to salute Purple when he saw him enter, a little surprised to see his Tallest on the bridge so early.

"Good Morning, my Tallest!"

"Have you seen Tallest Red?"

"No, sir. Isn't he usually still at breakfast at this hour?"

"He wasn't in the cafeteria." Purple replied. "You haven't heard anything from him?"

"No, my Tallest, not since he was here yesterday."

Without saying another word, Purple hovered back into the hallway, leaving the technician confused on the bridge.

'_Where could he be?_' Purple thought to himself. He was trying not to leap to any conclusions, but he was truly becoming worried. This behavior wasn't like Red at all. Something was definitely wrong. Purple saw his advisor coming towards him down the hallway and flagged him over.

"Kove!"

"Yes, my Tallest?"

"Have you seen or heard from Tallest Red since last night?"

"No, my Tallest. Why? Isn't he having breakfast like usual?"

"No. He's not in his room, he's not in the cafeteria, and he's not on the bridge. No one seems to know anything."

"Have you tried calling his communicator?"

Purple took his communicator from his PAK and pushed the button to call Red. He waited several moments but there was nothing but silence from the other end. No "Please leave a message" or anything. Just silence.

"There's no answer." Purple said. "Something is wrong, Kove. Something is very, very wrong. The last time I saw him yesterday he was going off by himself somewhere on the Massive. Something has happened to him."

"Let's not panic," Rarl Kove replied, "Let's go to the bridge. Let's have the crew try calling him again and alert the guards."

Purple turned and hovered back to the bridge with his loyal advisor following closely behind. The same technician stood to greet him again, only looking a little more concerned this time. He could tell by Purple's expression and seemingly confused behavior that something was amiss.

"Are the communications fixed yet?" Purple asked.

"The onboard communications are fixed, my Tallest, but the long-range communications won't be functional for another hour or two."

"Trying calling Tallest Red's communicator," Purple told him, "He didn't answer when I called him. Maybe he'll respond to call from the bridge."

The technician obediently went to a terminal. He punched a few buttons then stood in silence staring at the machine.

"There's nothing, my Tallest," the technician told him, "It's silence. It's like his communicator isn't even online."

"Are you sure the machine is working?" Purple asked. Suddenly Purple's own communicator, which he was still holding, started buzzing and beeping. Purple looked down at the screen. "Incoming Call: Bridge" it read.

"It's working," the technician replied when he heard Purple's communicator sound off.

"Alert the guards," Purple said quietly to Rarl Kove, "Tell them to search the ship."

"Yes, my Tallest."

The green-eyed advisor exited the bridge. Purple turned back to the team of technicians who were all staring at him with worried expressions rivaling his own. Ignoring them, he took his seat on the bridge. He let out a sigh and rubbed his temples with his long fingers. _'I never should have let Red go off by himself.'_

* * *

When the pain in his head had finally started to subside, Red began trying to figure out how to free himself again. He had tried to deploy his spider legs in hopes that if they didn't free him, they'd at least allow him to access his communicator. It was no use. The Resisty, or more specifically the Vortian Lard Nar, who knew a great deal about Irken technology, had disabled everything in this PAK but the life-sustaining functions.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. Two large guards appeared outside the cell and opened the door. Red glared at them, but remained silent for the time being. They both approached him. One carried a long electrified spear similar to the ones used by Irken slave drivers. The other held the key to Red's restraints. As the one with the key began undoing the restraints, the other guard pointed the electric spear at Red, silently defying him to move.

Once the restraints were undone, the guards gripped Red around his upper arms to pull him to his feet. The one who had undone the restraints twisted Red's arms around behind his back and locked tight-fitting handcuffs around his wrists.

"Let's move, Irken," the guard ordered, giving Red a harsh shove towards the door.

"Where are you taking me?" Red demanded to know.

"To Lard Nar. He wants you on the bridge."

Just hearing the name of the Vortian rebel made Red's blood boil with rage. Out of instinct, he began to struggle against his restraints and the guards. The struggle was soon over, however. The guard wielding the electric spear zapped Red in the ribcage, causing him to double over in pain. The other guard punched him in the stomach while he was doubled over, bringing him to his knees.

"Lard Nar said you might put up a struggle," said the guard with the spear. He pointed it at Red's torso again. "Are you done now?"

Red didn't answer. He only glared up at the guard through fiery eyes.

"Good." The two guards hauled Red to his feet again and took him the rest of the way to the Resisty ship's bridge where Lard Nar and several of the crew were waiting.

"What do you want with me?" Red growled as soon as he saw Lard Nar.

"Ah, so glad you could make it!" the Vortian teased. "You know, you really were a catch. We would have been happy with Tallest Purple, but when our solider called us and told us he had captured you instead, we were quite beside ourselves! Your crew should have had enough time to repair your ship by now. We were planning to call Tallest Purple to let him know we found you. I'm sure he's worried."

Red glared daggers at the rebel commander. He was brought to stand behind Lard Nar, but still in view of the screen. Lard Nar pressed a button on his command chair and waited for the transmission to go through to the Massive. After a few seconds of trying to establish a connection, the transmission finally went through.

Purple appeared on the screen, looking annoyed at the incoming call from the Resisty at first, then worried when he saw Red standing in restraints behind the Vortian, then angry.

"You've made a terrible mistake," he said to Lard Nard, "I command you to release him before—"

"Before, what?" Lard Nar interrupted. "Before you destroy us? You won't destroy us with Tallest Red still onboard. Besides, you can't even locate our ship!"

"What is it you want?" Purple asked, trying not to sound as perturbed as he actually felt.

"Your surrender, of course."

His violet eyes flicked up to Red briefly before he answered, "No."

"Then I'm afraid it's _you_ who have made the mistake, Tallest," Lard Nar replied. "You underestimate the resistance. We've nearly killed you twice. We're breached your ship and killed several your crew. And now we've captured Tallest Red. Wouldn't you like to know how that happened?"

"I would!" Red chimed in before being kneed in the gut again by a guard.

"Your soldiers used cloaking devices," Purple said. His concerned glance shifted to Red briefly before returning to Lard Nar. "We already know that. And I'm assuming one of your people escaped the assault on the bridge and captured Red when he was off by himself last night. Am I right?"

"You are. Hm. Maybe you're not as dumb as we've been led to believe," Lard Nar ignored the heated glare he received from Purple and the angry growl coming from the Irken behind him.

"How did you get your people on the Massive without being detected?" Purple asked. "Our tracking systems were fine before the attack. Why didn't we see your ship coming?"

"I thought you'd never ask," the Vortian smirked. "We used another type of cloaking system on the ship we sent in, one much more advanced than what you Irkens currently possess. It's a little something the Resisty scientists have been working on. It not only cloaks the ship from direct sight, but it disrupts the electromagnetic field around it. It tricks your navigation system into thinking there's nothing there, allowing us to fly right into your docking bay without raising a single suspicion."

"You won't get away with this." It was the only thing Purple could think to say. He was taken aback by the Resisty's advanced technology and just how easy it had been for them to breach the Massive.

"Oh, I think we will," Lard Nar replied. "As I already said, you can't even locate our ship right now, and the resistance only grows larger each day. If you agree to negotiate the terms of your surrender, we might return Tallest Red to you in one piece."

Red saw Purple's expression waiver to one of fear and quickly tried to cover for him so Lard Nar would not suspect weakness.

"We don't negotiate!" Red hissed at the Vortian. "And we never surrender! The Irken Empire _will _destroy you!"

Red's outburst earned him another punch and kick to the abdomen from his captors. He doubled over in pain again, but the diversion was enough to turn Lard Nar's attention away from the screen long enough for Purple to mask his worried expression.

"Tallest Purple," Lard Nar returned his attention back to the screen in front of him. "What do you say?"

"We don't negotiate," Purple answered, trying to sound as confident as Red had sounded.

"Fine. Perhaps you just need some persuading. Every day that you refuse to surrender brings Tallest Red one day closer to his death. You have from now until…however long it takes us to slowly kill your friend here…to reconsider. He seems to be the pinnacle of physical health, so I guess you have quite a while actually. By all means, take your time. This should be fun."

The guard zapped Red with his electric spear again, eliciting a sharp yelp from Red. Lard Nar signaled for the transmission to be cut. Red felt his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the panicked image of his co-ruler disappear, but he refused to show fear. Whatever the Resisty did to him, whether Purple found a way to save him or not, he could not give them the satisfaction of breaking him.


End file.
